The present disclosure relates generally to small appliances, and more particularly to blenders for blending foodstuff.
Blenders are a common household appliance and are capable of mixing liquids and chopping dry foods. Blenders are also useful for liquefying fruits and vegetables and for blending solids with liquids. A typical blender includes a blender jar that sits on top of a blender base. The blender jar has an open top end that is selectively closed off with a lid. Foodstuff is placed into the container, the lid is mounted on the blender jar, and the blender jar is engaged with the blender base. The foodstuff is blended within the volume defined by the blender jar, and the blender jar is removed from the blender base to dispense or pour the blended foodstuff.
Most lids are one-piece units, but some have a removable center portion called a cap. The cap is selectively removable to reveal a secondary opening through the lid so that additional foodstuff/liquids may be added during the blending process.
Sudden movement of the foodstuff at the start of the blending cycle can increase the air pressure within the jar. This is not an issue for one-piece lids that are secured to the jar, but it can cause the cap to separate from the lid. One or more air channels can be defined between the cap and the lid to allow air to flow in and out of the jar even when the cap and lid are in place on the jar. The air channels prevent or minimize a pressure increase in the jar.
In conventional blender lids, these air channels provide a relatively straight path between the inside and outside of the jar. Foodstuff/liquids may be undesirably expelled from the jar through the air channels during the blending operation, thereby creating a mess.
It has heretofore not been discovered how to create a blender with the desired air channels to inhibit a pressure increase in the jar without the concomitant risk of foodstuff being undesirably expelled from the jar through the air channels. The blender of the following disclosure overcomes at least one of the above-described disadvantages of conventional blenders.